FINCHforum

I need some help. My owl finch, male, is about 8 years old we think. He can no longer fly, he does not walk on his feet, he hops around on the part where his legs meet his body (if that makes sense). Other than that he seems fine, chirps away, eats, drinks. But he seems more to sit. He has been like this for about a year or so? He does not have purches any longer, has not for a while. It is just the cage part on a table with newspaper on the bottom and paper towel on top to make it a bit softer. I was told to do that for him. He no longer goes to his bed he use to, sits most of the time now by his mirror. He does not looklike he is in pain but I don't want to be thinking the wrong way. I know if he was in the wild he would have been long gone, and just cause he can't do what he use to you can't just put him down but I am not sure if I am causing more pain or not. If some one could give me advise. I do have one vet in the city that does look at birds, but I want to make sure that is the right thing to do cause I do not know how he woild make the trip...know what I mean....taking him there and back might just do him in. Thanks for the help. I use to come on here when we first got our girl and boy owl finch and the help was amazing. The female died about 5 yrs ago.

This is always such a difficult decision. Just as with our other pets, our birds can't tell us if they are in pain, so we have to try to guess. My thinking, and I have no proof for this, is that if the bird is eating and drinking, singing or chirping, I feel that the bird must not be suffering terribly. I feel that if the bird does not eat nor drink, then it is because it is very sick, or in lots of pain. A very sick bird usually gives us lots of visual clues, such as the lack of appetite, puffed up, squinty eyes, head tucked under the wing.

It sounds like you are keeping him comfortable. At roughly eight years old, he may be nearing the end of his time. But if he has been coping with the inability to use his legs for a year now, it makes you think he has adjusted to his handicap. I can't explain it, but when I feel one of my birds can no longer cope and I am extending its suffering, then I will euthanize it. I just seem to know when it is time.

Thanks Sally

I posted about a very similar situation a week or so ago- my 9 yr old zebra, Almond, had the same kind of problem, although only for a couple of months. We think he had arthritis as he lost the use of his wings and then lost strength in his legs- he found moving around very difficult in the end. I took him to the vet at the start of all of it and she said it was just old age. For a long time he still chirped, sang, ate and drank, but there did come a day when we saw that he was struggling too much. We were going to have him put down because we didn't want him to suffer but the vet had no appointments (thank goodness!) and he passed away in his own time that same night. Whilst we were devastated to lose him we were glad he'd chosen his time, and died feeling warm and secure in his own surroundings.

You've obviously cared for your finch brilliantly for him to have lasted 8 years and to cope with being on the floor for so long- I'd agree with Sally and say trust your instincts. I'm so sorry you have to go through it- good luck.

Thanks Chocolatebex - ya it is hard. I am keeping a very close eye on him now. I wish i had someone who could come over and look at him cause like i said before taking him to the vet - if i do in a cage he would be flipping around like crazy and i know THAT would not be good and I don't want him to go like that - and i can't probalby just carry him cause LOL he don't like being picked up...he bites when i have cut his claws
but if the time comes when i think he is not in a good place, i may just call the vet to see if i can bring him in to get put down - see if they just do that or if they will check them over and if they seem fine they might say no they won't - and i am very nervous about July - we are going away for a week - if he don't look good i will make sure i have someone watch him. last time we went away for a week it was ok - i gave him lots of food and water and he was good when we got back. But this time i am not sure (although if he has his food and water) but i am still very nervous. amazing how such a little thing can make you worry so much (but probably more since they are so little) just about killed me when mama bird (we called her that and his name is papa bird) was not well, i was calling vet after vet but not too many look at birds, but when i was gonna call another i said to my husband "it does not matter now" cause she was dead it was heart breaking. he took such good care of her...sat right beside beside her when she was not well. ugh
thanks again everyone - i remember being on here a LONG time ago when we first got them and everyone was such a great help

So sorry that your sweet papa is struggling...he is so very lucky to have you...

I too would agree with what Sally told you. It is my firm belief that if a bird or any animal is eating, drinking, chirping, and seems relatively happy and can cope with their disabilities, let them enjoy their "twilight time". You will know as they will stop eating, drinking, puff up and become very listless.

No need to put him through the stress of riding to the vets office. Let him enjoy the time he has left and obviously you have taken wonderful care of him, you are a good bird mama!

In addition to my canaries, I also have a disabled lilac front amazon who became paralyzed when she was a baby. I did birdie bicycle exercises with her for a couple of months and she is now able to use one foot and the other she uses as a stump to balance, etc. She is as happy as a clam and gets around quite well, despite her disability. Had I taken her to a vet or taken the advice of others, she would have been put down immediately. Sometimes you just have to do what you feel is right as you are in the situation.

I also relate to this, as I just had to have my disabled little star finch, Fruit, put down. He survived an operation to remove a cancer and had been going really well. He was unable to fly for 5 out of his 6 years, and got around quite well. I had him put down in the end because he started fitting, and falling off his perch. If your little bird has quality of life, and can eat, drink, poop and get around OK, he should be fine. Its the hardest thing to do. I got a new bird, Beaky, and named him after Chocolatebex's other finch, who cared for Almond through his final weeks.

I'm having the same question to answer with my oldest bird, an 11 year old budgie called Angel. Since about 5 months she lives now on the floor in a small cage on her own, within the aviary, because she can't fly or perch well anymore. She seems comfortable enough and eats and drinks, and she is very happy when she gets visits from the other budgies. Sometimes one of the males even feeds her through the cage bars.

The only thing that worries me is that she doesn't have any feathers on her rump anymore, and she seems to overpreen herself. She was actually bleeding a little a few weeks ago but she's better now. Around that time I also started having a permanent heat lamp next to her cage (with another small cage around so no other birds can burn themselves) and she seems to really like that. She is actually more active since we put the heat lamp in.

I also hesitate to bring her to the vet because I think she might not survive the stress. I think as long as she is eating and drinking and interacting with the other budgies I will keep her in the cage like that.